Hinsdale Central senior Josh Bey has never felt weighed down by expectations.
The weight of all the awards he won is another story. Bey won 13 state medals, including 10 state titles, and led the Red Devils to three consecutive team titles.
But the Indiana-bound Bey says the massive haul was neither his greatest motivation nor his greatest satisfaction.
“The awards were a great part of the career, but it was never about the destination,” Bey said. “It was about the journey.
“The memories I made along the way with these boys, that was what really made my high school career. I’d love to go around saying I made all these accomplishments, but everything — all the training, all the time I’ve spent with these boys — has been amazing.”
Bey capped his high school career with an historic performance at the state meet at FMC Natatorium in Westmont on Feb. 28 and March 1. His final meet was his finest, which is saying a lot considering he won four state titles and set state records in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley as a junior. But he won four more state titles and set more records.
During the preliminaries on Feb. 28, the Red Devils broke the national record in the 200 medley relay, as Bey teamed with sophomore Luke Vatev, senior Henry Guo and junior Matthew Vatev to time 1 minute, 26.75 seconds.
“That could definitely be a highlight,” Luke Vatev said. “It felt amazing. That was the goal coming in. Everyone swam so great, and seeing everyone else do phenomenal, go best times, it’s just a great feeling all around for everybody.”
That performance was only the beginning for the Red Devils, who began the finals on March 1 by winning the medley relay in 1:27.01.
Bey then won his second consecutive state title in the 200 individual medley, lowering his state record to 1:43.96 in the event widely considered to determine the state’s most versatile swimmer.
Bey’s third race was the 200 free relay, which he got started for the Red Devils. Matthew Vatev, junior Brandon Suliga and senior Frankie Adamo followed, and they won it in 1:21.33, just 0.07 of a second off the state record Hinsdale Central set in 2023.
For his final performance, Bey timed 53.32 to become only the fourth boy to win three consecutive state titles in the 100 breaststroke. That was just 0.34 of a second shy of the state record he set last year.
But Bey wasn’t the only one setting records for the Red Devils, who have a deep pool of talent that includes several other stars like Guo and Matthew Vatev, who have committed to swim at Penn, and Luke Vatev.
Luke Vatev won the 100 free in 43.57 and the 100 backstroke in 46.95. During the preliminaries, he swam a state-record 46.52 in the backstroke, becoming just the third swimmer in IHSA history to set a state record as a sophomore. He joined a select club that also includes St. Charles North’s Thomas McMillan, who accomplished the feat in winning the 100 butterfly on Saturday, and former Lake Forest star Matt Grevers, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
“It feels absolutely amazing,” Luke Vatev said. “I’m just so fortunate I have everyone around me to support me, and it wouldn’t have been possible without them.
“It’s an amazing feeling, but that was kind of the expectation going into the meet. So achieving that is fantastic.”
Bey has always had high expectations for himself. As a freshman, he finished second in the breaststroke at the state meet.
“The summer after my freshman year, I got a little too cocky, and I had a rough summer season, so that kind of drove me,” he said. “It’s kind of an uphill thing where I get high up and confident, and then it goes down. It goes back up, though.”
Getting to the top required some sacrifice for Bey. When COVID-19 restrictions shut down swimming clubs, Bey had to look elsewhere for places to train. What followed was an example of his dedication.
“I had to leave the club that I had been with for the past five years,” he said. “My dad started emailing clubs in different states like Wisconsin and Indiana, and the Highland Hurricanes in Highland, Indiana, was the only team that reached out back.
“So we went over for a practice. I fell in love with the team, and ever since I’ve been there.”
Bey travels an hour each way to club practice. His commute to Hinsdale Central’s practices is much shorter, of course, but his workouts are no less intense.
“There’s a lot of fighting for spots, so it made it a very tense environment in the pool,” he said. “We were all fighting for spots, and of course people are going to be angry with each other and hateful toward each other. But at the end of the day, we all love each other, and that’s what is most important.
“We’re all putting our hearts into this. It’s all been our passion since a very young age, and it’s just been our lifestyle, so it’s brought us all together.”
Bey has never been one to rest on his laurels. That’s an example his teammates followed.
“He definitely led by example this year in practice, worked the hardest he’s ever worked, made people work harder,” Hinsdale Central coach Bob Barber said. “It’s going to be really hard to replace his competitiveness. He has the ability to turn it on.”
Bey’s competitiveness is matched only by his enthusiasm.
“Joshua is a phenomenal swimmer,” Luke Vatev said. “He just brings so much joy and so much happiness to the sport.
“Every practice he’s smiling, having a fun time, and I feel like that spread throughout the team. So without him, it wouldn’t look the way it is, and we’re just so fortunate to have him. He’s going to do great things at IU, and we’re all excited for him.”
Bey will leave behind a sterling legacy at a program whose tradition of excellence dates back generations and includes 21 team state titles. The Red Devils scored 338 points on March 1 to tie their state record set last year, with the 400 free relay team of Guo, senior Noah Pelinkovic, Luke Vatev and Adamo capping the meet by setting a state record of 2:59.38. Hinsdale Central’s 148-point margin of victory over runner-up Marmion was the second highest of all time.
“I’d like to think that I made a huge difference on this team culture, bringing everyone together, getting everyone to hang out as a team, because that had been on the downfall for the past few years,” Bey said. “I’m really excited to help the team culture.”
Barber was excited too.
“We’re really proud of Josh’s accomplishments throughout his four-year career here, in particular setting so many state records and helping the team just climb to another level,” Barber said. “It’s going to be really hard to see these seniors go.
“I’m so excited and happy for them and all their accomplishments over the years. A trophy every year they’ve been a part of the program and to finish with three state championships and all of the state records this year, it’s very special.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
